Category B+E Licence, Also known as car and trailer.

The rules for towing a trailer behind a category B (vehicle up to 3500kgs) are anything but easy to understand.

If you passed your car test on, or after 1st January 1997 and want to tow a trailer, you may need to take a test to do so!!

The category B licence entitles you to drive a vehicle up to 3500kgs. This category will allow you to tow a trailer as long as the combination weight does not exceed 3500kgs (read combination weight explained below) or if the towing vehicle has a Maximum Authorized Mass (MAM) of 3500kgs the trailer must not exceed 750kgs.

3500kgs combination weight explained

Firstly you will need to find out what the un-laden weight (ULW) of the vehicle being used to tow is, you will then need to find out what the maximum towing capability of that vehicle is. The laws regarding towing state that a trailer over 750kgs can be towed behind a category B vehicle as long as the maximum authorized mass of the trailer does not exceed the un-laden weight of the towing vehicle and the combined weight does not exceed 3500kgs.

For example: if the towing vehicle had an un-laden weight of 1500kgs and could tow a trailer with a maximum authorized mass of 1500kgs, the combination weight would be 3000kgs, 500kgs below the allowed 3500kgs. This would be fine but the big problem now and the one thing people forget to take into account is how much does the towing vehicle weigh when it has its load taken into account ( driver, passengers, pets, tools, fuel, spare wheel, luggage etc). If this weighs over 500kgs you will be driving illegally.

When looking for car and trailer training it makes sense to train with people who are experienced with trailers, so who better than qualified instructors who train people to drive 44 tonne lorries?